Road to Redemption
by averagejane497
Summary: Naruto's made a lot of mistakes in his life, especially concerning the women he loves. Maybe this time he can get it right. Last chapter up.
1. Chapter 1

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

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Part One: Sympathy

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Sakura's nose wrinkled at the pungent odor of tobacco and sake that hung in the air. She squinted through the dim haze of smoke that filled the shady sake house looking for a familiar face amongst the muted crowds. It was such a dark, depressing place, so unlike Naruto that Sakura wondered how she had ever managed to convince herself that the blonde might patron such a place. Still, there was nowhere else; this unwholesome little establishment hidden in the shadows of the Hidden Leaf Village was her last hope.

She frowned, fighting the urge to shrink away from this place that offended her every sensibility and return to the sunny world outside. Slowly her green eyes studied every face and form and became more and more disheartened. Just as the smoke had begun to make her sight blur beyond vision she spotted a hint of blonde hair in the farthest corner of the room. Without hesitation she moved toward it, through the crush of bodies that hindered her path. The journey seemed to take an eternity and through the ages Sakura focused on the blonde whose fuzzy details became clearer with every step.

When he was finally fully within her view she stopped short. A swell of emotion rose in her chest as she was suddenly overwhelmed with uncertainty. She studied the blonde's profile and realized that the Naruto of yesteryear was gone. His boyhood roundness had melted away to reveal the lean body of a man, a man whose long limbs were casually strewn across the whole length of his lonely booth. His features were sharp and rugged. The tell-tale whisker like markings that graced his high cheekbones were now accompanied by day old stubble and his wispy blonde fell in roughish spikes across his cool cobalt eyes.

_His eyes, they aren't right._

His eyes were different then bright topaz she had been accustomed to. This older, dangerously handsome Naruto was completely foreign to her. Sakura realized she had been a complete fool to believe that Naruto had remained the same blithe youth of fifteen he had been six years ago. It dawn on her that she was suddenly very cold. The one person she had hoped could understand the depth of her grief for the fifth hokage's passing did not seem to exist anymore.

She was completely alone again….without the hope that was someone else out there that shared the same feelings of abandonment and betrayal. Slowly, the world was closing in on her as she stood frozen in place. The cramped atmosphere of the sake house pressed on her with the heavy weight of emptiness. She was drowning in her own turmoil and he had yet to even notice her presence.

"Naruto," it was the weak plea of a dying woman and somehow he heard it. Dark cobalt eyes flickered toward her rooted form. There was sluggishness to the smooth movement and Sakura became aware of the numerous sake containers littering the booth where he sat.

_So that's why he hadn't noticed me._

"Sakura?"

He said the syllables of her name slowly as though reacquainting his tongue with the combination. His response broke her out of her stupor and she closed the distance between herself and the booth. She looked down at his haggard expression and wanted to cry.

As a child, her distain for him had been clear for all to see. Like the other children of their generation, she had been subtly taught that Uzamaki, Naruto deserved nothing less than expulsion from civilized society. She had never thought of how cruel she had been to treat him so, not even after they had become friends. She had been fooled by his façade, deluded into believing her hard won friendship with him was like her relationship with Ino when in fact her tormenting of him had not been rooted in playful banter. She had never paused to acknowledge the lonely child Naruto hid beneath his rambunctiousness, the one peering up at her from behind those cobalt eyes.

"She's gone, Sakura. My baa-chan's gone." The deep gravel of his voice was low and it made the kunochi's heart flop painfully in her chest. Those words restored her hope that maybe he was not lost to her. That maybe they could survive this unbearable grief together. It gave her the strength to speak again.

"I know." Her own voice was hoarse from repressed sobs.

He shook his head, as if to clear it sending blonde spike this way and that before dropping his gaze away from hers. Sakura followed suit staring at the palm of his large hand where a jade green crystal lay innocently enough. Seeing her mentor's old necklace brought on a new wave of emotions Sakura did not know how to deal with so she reach down and grabbed his hand. Her fingers laced through the tangled mess made by his long fingers and the thread of the necklace, hiding the last remembrance of Lady Tsunade safely between their joined palms.

Naruto's head snapped up at Sakura's actions as though he'd forgotten she was there. He studied her face for a moment before whispering a low confession, "Tsunade was the last member of my 'family', after Jiriaya's death…"

Naruto trailed off turning his head so shadows engulfed his features. Sakura stood shocked at the admission, but slowly the storm of emotion churning inside her head she came to a decision.

That decision became more concrete with every step they took toward his old apartment. No matter how accomplished a ninja Naruto might be or how much older he was, he still lacked affection and compassion in his life. She would give that to him. It would be her method of amends for all the wrongs Naruto had suffered through his lifetime.

_I'll be there for you, the way I should have been from the beginning._

Her determination was set as she fiddled with the lock to his long abandoned apartment. He stood beside her, leaning heavily against the doorframe with his head tilted back, eyes closed, completely oblivious to her serious thoughts. Time stretched as the lock remained stubbornly in place. Sakura's frustration reached its maximum and she finally used brute force to damage the lock before gently swinging the door open.

She entered the darkness with a surprisingly quiet and still inebriated Naruto behind her. Exhausted, he trudged over to the unmade futon that remained in the middle of the floor. Sakura in turn head toward the light switch which wrought no success. Miserably, she turned in Naruto's direction. Death and darkness were a glum reception for a homecoming.

_Well not total darkness…_

Moonlight filtered eerily through a small window creating a low visibility about the bare room.

Sakura watched Naruto sink tiredly onto the bed throwing a shadowy cloud of dust into the air. Sitting with his elbows perched on his bent knees with his head hanging low in the silvery half darkness, Sakura was again reminded of how physically appealing he had become. She stepped toward his still form. It wasn't like Naruto to be so still, so somber.

_It must be the alcohol._

"Naruto. You should get some sleep," Sakura chided in a hushed adaptation of her nursing voice. His head pivoted up to look at her standing figure before murmuring a dull agreement. Without another word of protest he fell back onto the futon from his sitting position, groaning softly he threw his arms over his face.

_His hangover must be catching up to him._

Realizing that he must be in pain, Sakura knelt to help him remove his sandals and re position his long frame more comfortably on the bedding. He was groggy and his semi consciousness left her to struggle with his dead weight minus her enhanced strength. Once she managed to arrange him in a decent manner with his head on a pillow and his impossibly long legs over onto the floor, Sakura found herself lying beside him watching him sleep.

His snoring had thankfully lessened during the years into a throaty breathing sound that she found slightly relaxing. In his sleep he didn't seem so foreign to her. His features soften enough to remind her of his old innocence. Even the way he still lay moderately splayed out in his sleep made her think that maybe some of his wildness survived these dreadful years.

"Don't worry, Naruto. I'll take care of you now…."

With a sad smile, Sakura fell into a deep sleep.

_After all, you're all I have left._

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	2. Chapter 2

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

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Part Two: Homecoming

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Creeping through her bedroom window at four in the morning, Hinata headed straight for her shower. It is a testament to her growth as a shinobi that she managed to infiltrate the Hyuga compound without raising an alarm, but the sound of the shower would certainly wake her cousin, who sleeps in the room beside hers. At this particular moment, Hinata does not care.

It took effort to peal her clothing off and Hinata was sure that some of her skin had come off with it, but being free of her armor is well worth the cost. Wrenching the shower knob towards scalding she unbound her long hair before silently gagging at its rancid odor. Wasting no more time she slipped into the stall, silently moaning in pleasure as the hot water burned away all the filth from her body. Pressing her forehead against the cold tile, she stays under the scorching spray and recalls the last few hours.

Six months in the Land of Waves, trudging through swamps and caked in the remains of enemies, had finally drawn to a close. Her ANBU comrades had pushed a hard pace back to the village driven by news of a success. Despite being of a lower rank, Hinata had championed the break neck pace with little difficulty. Once they had reached the gates one masked ANBU member had even given her a gruff complement. For some reason all the black cloaked shinobi has been shocked that she had even survived the mission with them, even though they had been informed previously that it was not her first S-Ranked objective.

From that point they had split up since the Black Ops unit did not have the same end of mission procedure that she, did being a simple jonin, did. As she headed toward the Hokage Tower to make her final report, Hinata felt vaguely lonesome. She had never seen the faces of her mission squad, but for the last few months she had been constantly in the company of some masked person or other. It was unnerving to suddenly be so obviously alone.

Or so she thought.

At the time, Hinata had not considered that the dreariness that had suddenly surrounded her was nothing more than the psychological effects of drawn out mission exhaustion. It was only when she was met with Shizune's red rimmed eyes that Hinata realized that the Village Hidden in the Leaves was heavy with sorrow of mourning. This new burden weighted itself in Hinata's chest as she left the desolate stone tower.

She was a day late for Tsunade-sama's memorial service, so at three o'clock in the morning Hinata found herself kneeling before the smooth marker embossed with the Fifth's name. She said a quiet prayer for the departed's soul and watched as the incense offerings burned away to nothing. This was all she could do in observation of the remarkable woman's life.

On her way to the compound, Hinata sincerely hoped that the afterlife treated Lady Tsunade, and the others who had passed, with joy enough to compensate for their sorrows and struggles faced here amongst the living.

That was perhaps this Hyuga's only hope, for no matter how many missions she completed; no matter what victories she reaped there was no happiness in her mortal toils. There was only death and blood that could only be prevented by more death and blood. It was senseless really. Her job was to maim and kill and deceive in order to maintain a precarious peace that would one day inevitably be broken. So then, why did she do it?

She did it because every day that twelve year old genin did not have to die in war against seasoned killers was a day well worth her flaking soul. The world was evil, but its children and civilians did not need to know that yet. Now, there was a new reason to continue her soulless work. Tsunade-Sama. She had died to preserve this Village and its people, just like the Fourth and Saburto-Sama. She died a hero, just like Asuma-Sensei.

_Kami-sama, their sacrifices would mean something._

The shrill cry of the rooster pulled Hinata from her thoughts and the shower. She could not recall the last time she had slept, but by now her clan is probably well aware of her homecoming. This pleasant fact made her attendance at breakfast this morning required, unheeding of how enervated she felt. Pulling on a pattern less white kimono after tying her wet hair into a neat bun, she pulled the shoji screen to the hallway open.

Her cousin stood across the doorway, with his signature blank expression firmly in place. Neji's appearance was unusual. Despite amicable circumstances, the two not managed to bond beyond civility. Still, he was her neighbor and they were both attending the same morning ritual, coincidental run-ins were bound to occur. Unfortunately, Hinata was not naïve enough to believe that her _nii-san_ left anything up to mere coincidence.

The two stood frozen as Hinata waited for her cousin to speak. Although, Neji was a man of few words, he was a man who believed in speaking what needed to be spoken. This was far more words than Hinata was ever willing to speak, since she believed speaking to be a last resort of all possible means. A pregnant pause followed before Neji's patience broke.

"Where have you been, Hinata-sama?"

Hinata frown and contemplated if answering was the best course of action. She glanced at the sun and realized that they would be late to breakfast if this continued. She gave a thought to walking past him only to consider the strong possibility that he would physically retrain her progress. She had better just answer.

"Mission."

"You rank is not qualified for missions spanning more than two months."

"Many missions, _nii-san_."

It was a simple explanation, but Neji was not convinced. Before he could voice his objection, Hinata chose to quietly intercede.

"The morning meal is starting."

Seated at the long polished table, Hinata remembered as children the clan was taught that meals in the Hyuuga compound were an internal symbol of the clan's strength. This being said, it was nearly sinful to miss any meal time for a reason less than official shinobi business or serious illness. For most of her young life she thought this "strength" related to the ties of the blood that made the Hyuuga a family rather than just a clan of Byukugan users. Now, she saw it as it really was, a demonstration of main branch authority over all others.

It was a subtle tyranny, but tyranny none the less. It had taken Hinata many years to decode the signs. All Hyuuga members were mandated to attend under penalty of punishment. All Hyuuga were seat in accordance to branch and rank without consideration of age or socialization. All food was prepared before hand with regards to only nutritional value and medical restriction not personal preference. All generic Hyuuga clan members must withhold from eating until the Head and Elders designated the order. In a complex way, it was a reminder to everyone that they were all slaves to the Hyuuga tradition.

It was, in simple terms, ridiculous, but no one else seemed to notice. So, Hinata remained silent and kneeling until her Father and the council of Elders arrived. There were no words said, not even a short speech on the passing of the Hokage. It was not the Hyuuga way. Still Hinata was disappointed, even if she was not surprised.

As soon as the meal was over and it was appropriate to leave, the Hyuuga heiress did so. But before she could disappear back to her bedroom, she overheard her father speaking to her nii-san behind the thin shoji screens of the dojo. Moving slowly, she melded into the very shadows of the compound.

"You must watch her more carefully, Neji-kun. Hanabi-chan is favored, but her accession is not yet guaranteed. Until Hanabi-chan's future is certain, Hinata must not be allowed to stray. Her behavior is too unnerving already."

"Hai, Hiashi-sama."

"One more thing…."

Hinata's focus wavered. An approaching Hyuuga was compromising her position with every step he took. When he came too close, the kunoichi slipped easily back into the brightness of day. Moving with determined strides towards the gate, Hinata discard all thoughts of resting. It was a good thing she had been an insomniac since the age of three.

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	3. Chapter 3

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

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Part Three: Guilt

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Naruto woke up feeling no more worse for the wear. He should have drunk some more. Damn Fox. Sighing, he wondered how his body could feel so normal when his heart ached so badly. It probably had something to do with this bed. It had been a long time since he had slept in a bed this comfortable. It had been an even longer time since he had slept in a bed this close to home.

That was an uncomfortable thought. Was this place really home anymore? There was no one here, no Old Man, no Prevy Sensei, no Old Lady. Was Iruka-sensei even here? Pressing the heels of his hands into this eye sockets, Naruto tried to ward off a headache that had nothing to do with alcohol. Turning over roughly he was determine to go back to sleep, where oblivion did not rise such eerie questions, when he realized he wasn't alone.

_You're losing your edge, man. Believe it._

Half annoyed, half amazed he gazed at the pink hair woman dozing beside him. Her face was peaceful and turned openly in his direction. His eyes brushed over her face. Sakura was more beautiful than he had ever imagined she would be and for a second he felt twelve years old again. He shook his head, wondering what had come over him. He also wondered why she was here. Surly she had her own place. One that wasn't over run by dust bunnies, he thought grimly when his nose began to tickle with an unformed sneeze. Distracted by the irritating sensation in his nose, Naruto didn't notice Sakura soft rambling until she rolled closer to him.

He was about ready to jump out of his skin when he felt her breath gaze his shoulder.

"Don't leave me. It so lonely here…."

All the nervous energy left his body at her pleading words and his body reached for her. Awake, she was the most intimidating woman he knew, but asleep was small and vulnerable. And suddenly the urge to protect her was overwhelming.

He was no stranger to loneliness. He'd spent the greater part of his life under its weight, but Naruto had learned how to escape from the chill of loneliness. He warmed himself with endless missions and impossible goals. He outran it by pushing farther and farther away from this empty house. He left it in his wake as ran faster and faster away……from her and everyone else.

He was overwhelmed with guilt now as he always was when it came to Sakura. He had made her so many promises in the past. As a child, he'd promised to make her happy. As an adolescence, he'd promised to bring back her first love. To fulfill those promises he'd scoured earth and forgotten her in the search, leaving her here in the past where he was too afraid to return empty handed. He had affectively used his promises to her as an excuse to abandon her, so he would not have to face his pain. A pain that sprung from home, from this place, a pain they could have shared together. After all, it was a pain that belonged to both of them.

Pulling his old teammate close, he wrapped her in his arms and promised _himself_ that he'd be there for her now. She would not feel lonely anymore, because she would have him as long as she wanted him.

Naruto was pulled from his internal dialogue when he heard his name being called. Loosening his hold on the warm woman beside him, Naruto looked down at Sakura's face and met confused emerald eyes. Grinning sheepishly, the blonde disentangled himself from her entirely before sitting up with his back to her. He muttered a string of apologies, while bracing himself for the consequences of his stupidity, but her retaliation never came. Instead of scolding him, Sakura reach out and wrapped her own arms around his waist. Shell shocked, the Kyuubi container swallowed hard. Naruto heard her murmur softly into his back, but could not make out the words over the rush of blood buzzing in his ears.

"What?" he croaked in a voice rough with sleep.

She tilted her head back to look at him with her chin still resting on the ball of his shoulder before repeating herself. "I said I missed you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto kept his head facing forward. If he turned to face her they would collide. They were that close. Licking his dry lips, Naruto was careful with his response.

"I missed you too, Sakura-chan."

The pink haired medic released him and move to his side, a bright smile lighting up her face. She was about to speak again when his stomach interrupted her. Closing his eyes in slight mortification, Naruto ran his hands through his bedraggled hair. When he opened his eyes she seemed put off. Naruto was ready to apologize again, when Sakura's stomach cut him off. Smiling ironically at her, he revised his apology.

"Sounds like it's time for breakfast. I hope you don't mind eating out. I haven't paid an electric bill or gone grocery shopping in a while." He was already up and stretching as he said this. When he got no reply he looked down on at her sitting mutely on the futon. She was frowning. Confused, he tried again.

"My treat," he tempted after plastering on a roughish smile and extending a calloused hand. She hesitated a moment more before slipping her hand into his and gripping it with more strength than he expected. Perplexed by her sudden sullenness, Naruto pulled her to her feet with ease and gave her a toothy grin. She smiled back in return, a bit less enthusiastically than before.

After quickly brushing his teeth, he tossed Sakura a spare brush he'd found under the sink and relinquished the bathroom to her use. With nothing else to do he browsed the apartment, looking at the shabby contents. The one room was bare except for a table, a counter, a refrigerator, a sofa, a desk, and the futon. His meager closet consisted of bright orange jumpsuits, a few t-shirts, and pair of old sandals. Everything was too small. He'd have to go shopping since he had no idea where he'd left his satchel.

Giving up on entertaining himself, Naruto begun to wonder what was keeping Sakura so long. He was contemplating checking on her, when his sharp ears heard the lock on the door click.

Turning to greet her, he was surprised by the serious look on her face. He was about to ask her what was the matter when, she closed the distance between them. Her hand stretched to cup his cheek and the sorrowful look in her eyes made the words in his throat dry up like rain drops in the desert.

"I _really_ missed you, Naruto," she whispered before leaning up on the tips of her toes to press her lips against his. The kiss caught him off guard and his eyes widened when her arm snaked around his neck to pull him closer. Slowly, he began to response to her softness and her grief with his own need.

Later as he lay exhausted, but unable to sleep with his ex-teammate tucked neatly against his side, Naruto stared up at the white ceiling wondering if this was the right thing. It felt right, because Sakura was quiet in her sleep now. The content curve of her lips made him feel like he had done the right thing in pacifying her loneliness this way, but would she see it that way when she woke up. He did not want her to regret this. To regret _him_, because as of now she was the most precision person in the world to him and hurting her would probably destroy what was left of his tainted spirit.

So he gently kissed her temple and prayed to _Kami-sama_ above that everything would turn out right for once.

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	4. Chapter 4

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

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Part Four: Coincidence

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Hatake, Kakashi had reined as the Sixth Hokage for seven months now and the wound left by Tsunade-sama's death was all but a faded scar to the citizens of Konoha. Unfortunately or fortunately, that was not the case for Naruto and Sakura. That was why they had ventured out into town to day. It was the seven month anniversary of Lady's Tsunade's death and per tradition the couple was purchasing a dozen white chrysanthemums to place on her grave.

It was an archaic ritual that families preformed for deceased relative. Naruto had learned of it during his traveling and Sakura had recalled its origins from her studies. Both had agreed that it was a rite they found worthy of the Sanin's memory. So on the 24th of every month the two visited the Yamanaka flower shop. As usual Ino was there to greet them.

All was going as it normally did until the blonde kunoichi caught Sakura's arm.

"Can I talk to you a minute?"

"Sure, Ino," Sakura responded in confusion. Ino's pale blue eyes were hard and Sakura wondered what had brought about the change. Ino still refused to let go of her elbow. Slightly paniced by her delay, Sakura cast a glance at Naruto through the shop window. He was obliviously conversing with Inuzuka, Kiba whilst waiting for her.

"It's about you and Naruto."

Sakura felt her ears get hot as Ino's voice dropped to a condoning tone.

"Stop, Ino. Stop right there."

She knew that people still resented Naruto. She also knew that people regarded her with inflated respect because she had been Tsunade-sama's apprentice, because of this her relationship with Naruto was frowned upon. People thought her superior to him perhaps even superior to themselves and saw her affection of the Kyuubi container as some form of betrayal. Sakura saw it as nothing more than ignorance. She did not want to believe that her best friend was part of such prejudice. So Sakura closed her eyes and ears to it.

Ino grabbed her and shook her roughly by the shoulders until her resolve broke and she opened her eyes. Her lashes were wet and Ino's eyes were still indomitable.

"Listen to me, Sakura. I know you have heard what everyone is saying." Ino's lips pressed into a hard line when Sakura opened her mouth to protest. It affectively silenced the pink haired woman. Ino rarely had such an expression on her beautiful face and everyone knew to shut up and listen when she wore it. "I know that your life has been no picnic and I know that it has made you strong, but I have to warn you. If you pursue this relationship with Naruto, things will only get worse. People are cruel, Sakura. They might acknowledge him as a powerful shinobi and a hero, but they will never stop thinking of him as a demon. You cannot change people's believes, Sakura. That is _why_ there are called _beliefs_. And people will more easily believe the bad over the good."

Sakura tore herself away from Ino's grasp, her face flushed with righteous anger.

"How dare you? Ino, how could say such things!" Sakura exclaimed in a hushed voice very aware that Naruto was right outside.

The blonde shook her head in impatience, before her eyes softened. "Don't you understand, Sakura? I'm saying this because I care about you and Naruto. You are my best friend. I need you to understand just how hard this will be."

Ino took a step toward her. She had watched her friend suffer the loss of Uchiha, Sasuke for years. She knew just how much psychological pressure Sakura could take before she snapped.

"Tell me, Sakura, do you love him?"

The question hung in the air for a moment before Ino continued.

"Because if you don't you won't be able to stand it and it will break you both. And you will lose him and yourself."

There was more silence after that. Sakura could not bring herself to speak. It was hard to process everything Ino had dredged up. All the shadowy fears Sakura had banished to the far corners of her mind were now fighting at the forefront of her brain. She knew Ino was right. Sakura was well aware of the whispers and the snide looks she got everywhere she went. It hurt in an unspeakable way, to the point of being unbearable, but then she would look at Naruto in his glorious golden perfection and suddenly everything was okay again.

Sakura blinked when she heard Ino apologize.

Apparently worn out by her lack of words, Ino deflated. Her passion had gone as fast as it had flared and now she felt slightly guilt about how she had confronted the pink hair medic. As an interrogator, the blonde had lost a bit of her old social charm and her current loss for words to express her turmoil of emotion was written clearly on her pretty face.

Shaking her head and sighing, Sakura told her long time childhood rival that there was nothing to be sorry about. That she was fine, that they were fine. That soon everything would be okay. Ino nodded mutely and Sakura turned to head out the door.

Distracted by her thoughts, Sakura nearly ran into Hinata as she came through the entrance. Sakura of course stopped herself and the Hyuuga woman stepped nimbly away from the almost collision. Smiling at the dark haired woman, Sakura could help thinking what she always thought whenever she saw Hinata. It was just ironic that the plainest of the three Rooky Nine kuniochi happened to blossom into the most attractive one. Sure she and Ino where desirable in their own right, but Hinata had grown remarkably into a figure worthy of Japanese poetry. Her long dark hair and pale elfin features just fit with the traditional sense of beauty. No one could argue and everyone agreed.

Maybe she was a tad jealous, but Sakura could not help feeling that all that beauty was wasted on a woman who dressed like a spinster and acted like a prude. Still Hyuuga, Hinata never did anything meriting dislike, so Sakura laid the blame on herself when Hinata quietly asked her pardon.

"So what are you doing here?" Sakura's eye focused on Kurenai's son who rested easily against the Hyuuga's hip. The toddler said nothing and quickly turned his head to hide his face in the juncture between Hinata's neck and shoulder. Frowning, Sakura's emerald eyes turned to the dark haired woman's face.

"We are shopping, Haruno-san." Hinata's tone was neutral and her words perfectly pronounced. The statement made Sakura's forehead crease in frustration. Why couldn't the Hyuuga heiress be less civil and more open? It wasn't as if she was asking about the secret of the Byukugan.

"Oh, Naruto and I are here for flowers," she explained raising the bouquet of white chrysanthemums.

Sakura thought she saw, Hinata's brows draw slightly at her admission, but it could have been a slight reaction as she shifted the drowsy baby she was supporting.

"Well, I'd better go then Hinata."

"Sayonara, Haruno-san."

With that done, Sakura escaped. Her weary mood brightened when she spotted Naruto walking toward her with a lazy smile.

"Everything okay?"

Nodding with a smile she reached for his hand. Warmth flooded through her as his strong fingers laced with hers and Sakura was sure she was beaming with happiness. Heading toward the Remembrance Stone, the pair had to turn back towards the flower shop.

"Hinata-chan. Is that you?" Naruto's gravelly voice sounded pleased as he called out to the young woman. The Hyuuga half turned at his address and waited patiently as he approached with Sakura in tow.

The vivacious blonde grinned down at the tiny woman who looked up at him with a pleasant expression on her lovely face. His energy was certainly catching, Sakura noted.

"How are you Hinata-chan?"

The heiress smiled politely and assured him that she was fine before elegantly giving her condolences to him on the loss of the Lady Hokage. Naruto was humbled by her thoughtfulness. No one, besides Sakura, had ever given thought to consoling his grief as one would a surviving family member. The kyuubi container gave her a heart winning smile, and then turned his attentions to the baby staring up at him with wide dark eyes. The child was now wide awake and the sole focus of Naruto's attention. Sinking low enough to be eye level with the baby, the gruff shinobi smiled disarmingly at the infant.

"Hey little fella, how you doing?"

The baby's only response was to shyly tuck his head under Hinata's jaw, resting comfortably on the woman's collar bone. Still the boy's eyes remained curiously intent on the smiling man. Naruto continued to speak quietly to the child, and Sakura was surprise to see his cobalt eyes alight with joy. Since his return his blue eyes had been laid back, but guarded, unaffected, but defeated. Sakura was overjoyed at her lover's quiet delight. She inwardly sighed at the wonderful picture he made interacting with the child, the child who was slowly warming to him.

Sakura watched as Naruto softly tapped the little boy's nose and how the baby laughed in return and stuck out a chubby hand to touch Naruto's whiskered cheek. Smiling widely, Naruto put out his hands as if to hold the child, but the toddler shrunk away, curling deeper into Hinata's protective embrace. Still when the child turned back in Naruto's direct he was sporting an adorably happy expression, peeking up at his new friend when Naruto straightened to his full height.

"He sure is precious, Hinata-chan," Naruto replied seriously. The dark haired woman nodded solemnly in response.

"Hai, he is." Her voice was so soft and airy.

"Asuma would be proud." Naruto said quietly.

"Hai, I_ know_ he is." Her lips instinctively brushed lovingly against the baby's soft hair as she said this.

It was then, when Naruto shared a look with Hinata that Sakura found her voice.

"Naruto, it's getting late." The pink hair woman gave his hand a soft squeeze. Hinata broke the connection first with a nod of agreement. Naruto blinked then gave a boisterous farewell, griping Sakura's hand as they parted ways. Hinata bid them goodbye with a polite bow of her head, before turning on her heel.

It was when Kiba trotted over to walk with the departing Hyuuga heiress that Naruto spoke again.

"Think those two make a good couple?" he asked carelessly jutting his head in the fading couple's direction, his golden spikes tossing with the motion in the fading sunlight.

"Yeah, I guess so," Sakura remarked pulling closer to him as a cold wind sent a shiver up her spine.

"Yea, me too."

* * *

I want to give out a great many "thank you's" to all of you who took the time to review and toss out a couple of "thank you's" to those of you who just read. I when back to revised the 'Uzamaki' thing and ended up deciding to just ex the surname thing all together. There were way too many comas and it would not be grammatically correct to leave them out, I think. Anyway, thanks again everyone!


	5. Chapter 5

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Part Five: Recovery

* * *

Hinata was sneaking through her bedroom window, again. She had been sorely tempted to stay at Yuhi Kurenai's quant little apartment with her sweet little charge, but she had too much to catch up on. Her medicinal supply had run drastically low and a number of the ingredients she's picked up from the Yamanaka's shop had a short potency life after being picked.

After removing her shoes, Hinata bypassed her bed and headed for her shed. Moving swiftly through the sunset's shadows she made it without harassment. The tiny shed smelled like lavender and chamomile. Plants she had planted all around the parameter mostly for that purpose. Feeling more refreshed merely by being in her comfort zone, Hinata began her work.

Creating these concoctions in the dim confines of the old hut was not work for Hinata, not in the way that being a shinobi was. Here her precision came from interest rather than necessity, her perfection from passion rather than practice. Healing was her art, while killing was her labor. She was nearly finished restoring her supply when there was a knock on the door.

It was late and such an intrusion was strange. Wiping her hands on her apron, Hinata moved to answer the door. Pulling it open she was surprised to find her cousin glaring down at her.

He made no play at pleasantries when he addressed her.

"Where have you been Hinata-sama?" His eyes were cold and his manner imposing. By his dress, Hinata determined that he had just returned from a mission and by his countenance she figured all had not gone as planned.

"I have been here, Nii-san." She made a small gesture with her hand at the interior of her sanctuary.

Neji came close to scowling at her bland impertinence, before completely ignoring it. His cousin had always been stupidly stubborn, if nothing else.

"Hokage-sama has summoned you."

Hinata's eyebrows rose in question, though she knew better than to voice her inquiry. Neji-san would never tell her why the Sixth Hokage required her, even if he knew. Still it was puzzling that Hatake-sama would wish to see her. Since Lady Tsunade's death Hinata had seldom been sent on mission. Any she had been granted had been befitting of her station, nothing advanced.

Having nothing more to say, the older Hyuuga turned and began to head off trusting that the younger would follow. Of course she did, even though her gait was reluctant. Once she was seen into the building, Neji left her. Standing in the Hokage's office, Hinata noted that nothing was displaced. The room looked entirely the same from the stacks of paper work to the pig dozing in a corner. When the new Hokage appeared, seemingly from nowhere, Hinata gave him a discrete once over before dropping into a low bow. Hatake Kakashi, or what she could see of him looked older than his 36 years, mostly due to his right eye. It was that was almost glassy, holding a slightly bruised hue underneath it from obvious sleep deprivation. He was also breaking tradition, since he wore not his Hokage robes nor bothered with the symbolic wide brimmed hat of the Leaf Kage for the occasion.

"Hyuuga Hinata, right?" Even his voice sound tired.

It was an unusual introduction, especially since he should have some recognition for her. After all, he had summoned her. Still, Hatake Kakashi had a reputation for being unorthodox.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"From your file, I noticed that you are only a Jonin." If she had been a few years younger, Hinata would have flinched at the word 'only'.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"I hear from a reliable source, that you have experience well above your current ranking."

Hinata's breathing faltered for a moment. She wondered who had let that slip. All the missions she had preformed for Tsunade-sama that were 'well above' her station had been strictly off the record. No one was to speak of her involvement. It was solely between herself and the Fifth. This solemn pact had been drilled straight into Hinata core being and she was having an inner struggle determining whether or not she should affirm the new Hokage's assumption.

But it really wasn't an assumption, he already knew of her excursions, plus she had already sworn allegiance to his authority above all others, including her previous master. With a heavy tongue she gave her answer.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

With a heavy sigh the former ANBU captain turned Jonin turned Hokage dropped into his chair. Seemingly oblivious to her inner struggle of loyalty, he stared at her with immature annoyance.

"Is that all you can say?"

Hinata drew her lips together as she gave serious thought to his question.

"Ile, Hokage-sama." Hinata had to resist the urge to smile, when the silver haired Hokage's eyebrow twitched. His face was obscured, but Hinata had the sneaking suspicion that his expression resembled that of a vexed child beneath his trademark mask. It would be almost humorous, it wasn't so serious.

"He'll chew you up alive," Kakashi muttered almost to himself.

Hinata's head tilted in curiosity, her eyes bright against her dark bangs. The Sixth Hokage raised his eye and studied her with the sharp instinct he had honed through his lifetime. She looked like a dove, a dove caught in the darkness of night with no way out. She was something much too pretty to be of any threat really, so she must be the victim. Everything about this young woman alluded to prey, not predator. Could he really send her into such danger? Everything he had heard about her said he could, but sitting there with her standing innocently before him he wasn't so sure. But right now he had no choice. She was his only option. He'd have to send her.

The dungeon beneath the Hokage tower was not the one from lore. Instead of grim dingy stone and dank darkness, it was surprisingly bright, blindingly so. Every wall she had seen was stark white, not much different than one would find in a hospital, but it wasn't quite the same. The white floor was set low and the white ceiling unusually high, thus creating the appearance of an unending void. There were no doors, no cells, no windows, or marking of any kind on any wall. There was only turn after turn after turn of white. It was psychological torture through architecture. Hinata was impressed and understandable disturbed. Ibiki-san had done his job well.

The ANBU Captain who was her guide and the only spot of non-white beside herself, was her only beacon in the unending maze and ANBU had stopped. He or she turned abruptly, their back facing the pristine white wall, straight and erect like a sentinel stationed at a door, only there was no door. The ANBU did not speak, only stood there in the blinding white. Hinata realized that his or her silence was a test. A very simple test, now that she thought about it. Moving closer to the black clad shinobi, Hinata pressed a hand to the wall at their right. It was solid. Frowning she moved to the ANBU's left and did the same thing. This time her fingers sunk easily into the corridor. Apparently the whole place was designed to hold a particular gengitsu. Without further hesitation, Hinata stepped through the doorway.

On the other side, Hinata felt suddenly disoriented and her vision was stunned. Unlike the endless white that she had journey through to reach here, the cell itself was very dark. When her eyesight adjusted, Hinata remained still.

Lying on what seemed to be a padded surgical table was the notorious missing ninja, Uchiha Sasuke. The Hokage had told her that the traitorous Uchiha had finally been apprehended, but it really hadn't sunk in until this moment. So that is why Nii-san had seemed so grave. On his mission he had come across the Uchiha and managed to bring him back to Konoha. It was an impressive feat, but a troublesome one as well. The Village council was divided on the subject of Uchiha Sasuke. He was a traitor and a renegade. This meant according to law, once he was tracked down and returned to the Village he must face execution. But he was also the last of a unique bloodline limit, a bloodline limit the Village in the Leaves wanted regenerated.

This particular delicacy in the case of the Last Uchiha had forced the Sixth to strike the capture of Uchiha Sasuke from the mission record and hide his return from even the Village council. This had been his reason for enlisting, Hyuga Hinata. Hinata was also mostly off the record, her unwritten involvement in the case would not drawn attention since it was not an uncommon occurrence. The reason made sense, but Hinata thought that Hatake-sama's reason for keeping the Uchiha's return under wraps had more to do with his personal shinobi code. She knew that Kakashi believed that leaving your friends behind made you worse than scum. Therefore, abandoning his former student to his fate without a fight would have been completely against the Sixth's principles. Then again, what did she know?

Rolling up her sleeves and unhooking her medical bag, she set herself to the task of reviving The Last Uchiha.

* * *

Looks who is back..... Wonder how this will play out? Thank you to everyone for all the attention!

Hi. How is everyone? I'm doing well and want to thank everyone who has taken an interest in this story. RH, thank you for the tip on Japanese names in English writing. While revising I realized I might have rushed this chapter. In retrospect it is more important to the overall plot than I originally outlined. Can anyone one say rewrite? That will have to wait though, since there are still seven chapters to go.


	6. Chapter 6

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Part Six: Proposal

* * *

Naruto dove hard into the ground, narrowly avoiding a spray of projectiles. Feathers were supposed to be soft and comforting, not sharp and lethal, but obviously the Wind ninja did not know that. The enemy nin send another wave of razor edged feathers in his direction with a wave of a chakra wing. Naruto dodged again, nearly getting pierced in the leg from stray shrapnel. Being on the ground while his adversary remained aloft, made dodging the only thing he could do at the moment.

This battle had been going on a long time, and Naruto had lost track of Neji and Tenten in the process of avoiding aerial assaults. But, the length of the battle was giving the Kyuubi container the advantage. The wind ninja's chakra wouldn't be able to hold out forever. He was coming closer and closer to depletion, while Naruto had barely even tapped into his chakra reserves. If he had been alone, Naruto would have kept the pace of the battle slow, waiting for his enemy to weaken, before dealing the last blow. Concern for the well being of his teammate was forcing his hand and Naruto was formulating strategies to quickly dispose of the enemy ninja.

Rolling across the sand, the blonde shinobi managed to avoid being skewered by a ring of falling feathers. As the wind nin recovered from his last attack by gaining attitude. Naruto recognized the maneuver as his opponent's preparation for a driving strike and made his move. Summoning a band of clones, Naruto ordered his doppelgangers to use one another as a latter to meet his attacker as he plummeted downward to strike. Seeing the attack coming toward him the Wind ninja skirted hard to the right to avoid the clones. Smirking, the real Naruto finished the seals of his second jutsu.

By avoiding the head on assault the wind nin had flown straight into a whirlwind of cutting air currents and grating sand. He didn't last long after that. The attack shredded the delicate lines of chakra that kept the enemy shinobi in flight and without them he dropped out of the sky like a wounded bird.

Wasting no time, Naruto blazed a trail toward the sound of continuing battles. Racing over the sand dune, Naruto registered that one more of the Wind ninjas who had attacked them was already taken care of and the other was holding out against a barrage of Hyuuga Neji's 64 palms. The Hyuuga's usually indifferent fighting style was infused with a noticeable fury. His bloodline limit was fully activated and it only intensified the terrifying scowl distorting the Neji's face. Realizing that Tenten was not participating in the battle, Naruto's cobalt gaze scanned the area.

It was suddenly very obvious why Neji was fighting with such anger. The weapons mistress lay lifeless in the sand. One of her hair buns had come undone, and was splayed across her pale face, stained red in a pool of crimson sand. Attentive of the ongoing battle, Naruto made a line for the prone kunoichi. Reaching her without drawing that attention of the combatants, Naruto gently move her hair and checked for a pulse. Feeling bitter relief at her weak heartbeat, the Kyuubi container kept the corner his eye focused on Neji and his opponent as he tended the unconscious woman. Neji was steadily overpowering the Wind ninja with his brutal assault. The Hyuuga was angry, but he wasn't blinded by it. He was fueled by it.

Naruto heard, rather than saw the remaining Wind shinobi's demise. He was too preoccupied applying pressure to Tenten's gaping wound, than critiquing the fight. Neji's heated voice filled his ears mere moments later.

"Uzumaki, she needs a hospital."

"She won't make it to the hospital if we can't stabilize the bleeding, believe it." Naruto remarked tearing more fabric to press onto the wound. He was thinking about Sakura right now, what she would do if she were here, what she would say. She was the medic, one of the best and he was racking his brain to recall anything medic related she had ever said to him that might save Tenten's life.

Neji's initial adrenaline rush faded and he was quickly regaining his usual demeanor. He was still grim as he used his Byakugan to check the parameter. Determining that the treat had been neutralized, Neji dropped to his knees beside Naruto to help aid Tenten's wounds.

After a hard run back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves Tenten was stable in the intensive care unit of the Konoha hospital and Neji was stationary at her bedside. Naruto had reported to Kakashi to give the mission summary and afterward found that he had nothing to do. Sakura, his only 'hobby' besides training and sleeping was on shift at the hospital. She wouldn't be home until morning and without her there the home was simply an empty apartment.

Too unfocused for training and too restless for sleep, Naruto found himself wandering the empty streets. His destination didn't matter much so he just followed his feet. Those feet led him to the old ramen stand he used to patron as a child. Since he had never been able to cook, he spent a lot of time sitting in Konoha restaurants waiting hours to be served, before realizing that no one was going to feed him. It wasn't until he stumbled through the doors of Ichiraku that the owner and his daughter had actually been nice to him. From that day on ramen had become his favorite food.

Pushing through the doors, Naruto didn't see Ayame at the front. It was some young man he did not know. He figured the old man had finally broken down and hired some extra help. It was a good thing, really since the business must be wearing him down in his old age. Even with his daughter help. Keeping as low a profile as he was able, Naruto approached the counter. The associate came over with a courteous smile and asked him what he'd like, the kid was obviously new.

"Beef ramen."

Naruto blinked when he heard another voice echo his. Turning to the stool beside him he recognized the one and only Hyuuga, Hinata. Her iridescent lavender eyes mirrored his surprise. She was in civilian attire, sporting dark leggings and a grey long sleeve tunic. Her shiny black hair was knotted into a neat bun. She looked very out of place in the collage of primary colors that made up Ichiraku's walls.

Naruto wondered why a girl like her was here. He was sure that Hinata would be more than welcome at any upper scale establishment, especially with a face like hers. He was just about to bring this up when he realized the attendant was talking to him.

"Huh?"

The kid started at his deep voice and shakily asked if two orders of beef ramen was correct. The blonde hadn't meant to scare the kid, but for some reason or other he just intimidated people. He'd grown used to it over the years. Naruto gave a nonchalant nod and the youth was off. Hinata cast him a sidelong glance beneath her dark lashes that he caught out of the corner of his eye.

"So, what brings you here, Hinata-chan?" his voice carried a cat mocking up the canary tone that came naturally in these situations.

"I am hoping, Neji-san will not think to look for me here."

Blonde eyebrows shot up, caught off guard by her meaning and the length of her speech. In all the years he had known her, Hinata barely spoke two words at a time. Coaxing her into conversation was harder than defeating Pein. Hinata was staring into her glass of water with an apathetic expression. Feeling mischievous for the first time in ages, Naruto took the opportunity to tease her.

"My my my Hinata-chan, I didn't take you for the rebellious type…" he said slyly with a suggestive look.

"I'm not rebellious, just liberal," she defended smartly.

Well he hadn't expected that. She had more sass that he gave her credit for. Naruto chuckled, a deep sound coming from the depths of his chest. It was a pleasant sound and soon the Hyuuga woman was laughing quietly along with him. A glint caught his eye when she reached for her water glass.

"You weren't wearing that the last time I saw you," he gestured to her left hand. Hinata unconsciously withdrew it into her lap.

"Ile, I wasn't." Naruto kicked himself when he sensed her withdrawal. He hated when that happened, it was like screaming into a canyon. All you got were echoes.

"It's a pretty ring. They guy who got it for you must love you a lot."

_Yeah, the thing is the size of an iceberg._ It was definitely nicer than the one he had gotten Sakura, the same ring that had suffered ill luck on his last mission. It had been in his holster when that bird freak ninja had nicked his leg. The stupid feather had chipped the ring right in half. If Naruto had been a man who believed in fate he would have thought it was a sign.

He was pondering this as he waited for Hinata's answer. After a pregnant pause, he realized that she wasn't going to say anything. Unnerved by her silence, Naruto cut in again.

"He has to love you, you're getting married. Right?"

He watched her lips purse as she considered his question. Her eyes were closed when she finally responded.

"There are a substantial number of reasons to get married. Love is not the only one."

She said this slowly with perfect elocution and by the time she finished Naruto was ready to explode.

"Are you crazy? Love is the only thing to base a marriage on. A marriage without love will only make you miserable."

"What about trust, honor, and duty? Can these pillars not found a successful marriage? If two honorable people accept the weight of matrimony for the greater good, can they not find peace with one another?"

"Kami-sama, Hinata! You are talking as if we are in feudal Japan. Marriages of compromise are not honorable, they are tragic. No one can be happy if they are forced into marriage by anything other than their hearts, believe it."

Naruto felt as though he had made his point. He felt as though he had made her see reason, but her tiny form was not retentive. Instead, her straight back and controlled will reminded him a of an impenetrable fortress standing firm against siege.

"My parents were happy."

The blonde was knocked speechless by her revelation. Unable to contradict such a personal detail, Naruto retreated and surged forward with a different approach.

"Hinata-chan. Look at me." She refused at first, but eventually relented to his command. He was struck by the expression shadowing her admirable features. Licking his dry lips he continued.

"Say you fell in love with someone. It could be anyone. Kiba, the bus boy, or even Gaara." Hinata frowned at her options. Rolling his eyes at her disapproval Naruto revised his explanation. "Okay, maybe not Gaara. Just go along with me on this. Just for argument sake, say you fell in love with me then and I loved you too. Would you still go off and marry that stranger or would you have the courage to do right by yourself and marry me instead?"

He wasn't sure how, but he was closer to her now with his challenge hanging heavy in the scare air between them. He was leaning so close that the soft scent of lavender was invading his senses and he was slowing being entranced by her exquisite eyes. She parted her lips and he was tense to hear her answer.

"ORDER UP!"

The two shinobi pulled violently away as the young bus boy happily set a bowl of beef ramen before each of them. Both of them turned to their food with silent determination, neither wanting to admit that the broken moment from before had actually occurred.

Retaining his healthy appetite, Naruto inhaled his second helping before ordering a third bowl. Hinata was almost finished with her first. When the bus boy came to clear the dishes Hinata left an orderly pile of yen on the counter. It was enough money for four bowls of ramen. She slipped away before Naruto could stop her.

* * *

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. It is my favorite one. I'd like to say 'thank you' to all who reviewed and to everyone who read. Some of you asked a few questions so I'll address them.

Will Sakura leave Naruto for Sasuke? The answer is no. In this story Sakura is a 21 year old who has led a difficult life, not a 14 year old rewrite of Regina from Mean Girls. Of all the people she's ever known, Naruto is the only one who had consistantly been there for her. What she feels for him is genuine, even if her response is a bit misguided due to emotional vunerability.

What happened to Hinata's confession? When I wrote this story, Hinata's confession duing the battle with Pein had just started to circulate. Like many of the major events in the series, I decided to include it. What happened is explained in a later chapter as well as why Hinata doesn't faint the minute Naruto walks through the door.

Why does Hinata act they way she does? It has been six years. She had grown up a little and matured a lot to in response to her life. She has also lost a lot her herself. Remember that Naruto was Hinata's greatest inspiration and he up and left six years ago.

I think that covers everything. If you have more questions feel free to ask.


	7. Chapter 7

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Part Seven: Impropriety

* * *

_Kami-sama she loved him, but he could be so impossible sometimes. _

Sakura hugged her jacket closer to her trembling form. Winter was overtaking fall and the days were growing shorter. It was already dark when she left the apartment. She needed air and time. She wasn't sure why she was so angry, but she was certain that if she didn't get away and get calm she would say something she would regret. Say something she didn't mean.

What was wrong with her? She should be happy. Her wedding was less than three months away. She was marrying a wonderful man who loved her. Even Ino was onboard, happily helping her with the flower arrangements for the ceremony. So why then did it seem the closer her wedding day came the more irritable she felt? Her blonde haired best friend told her it was nerves. All brides-to-be got pre-wedding jitters.

But that wasn't it. Sakura knew that was not what was wrong with her. Thinking about Naruto and the day that they would join their lives together as one only inspired good feelings in her like fizzy champagne bubbles bursting pleasantly in her chest, not the gnawing twisting sensation that seemed to lie in the pit of her stomach like a nest of squirming snakes. It was that unrelenting sensation that made her tense, ready to spring on anything Naruto said.

Sakura felt a hard lump form in her throat. He was so patient and he put up with so much. Looking back on all the fights she had picked with him the last few weeks, Sakura couldn't understand why he stayed. It would be her worst nightmares come true, to one day wake up and find his side of the futon empty and cold. But if he did leave for that nomadic life he had become accustomed to she wouldn't blame him. Anyone could tell that she was the difficult one.

Still, she was sure she wouldn't survive his leaving. A life without him had become incomprehensible to her. When he was on missions and she was left at home, her life was cast into perpetual night. There was no laughter, no joy, no nothing, just a constant game of keeping her mind and hands busy before she lost herself to insanity. She had truly become dependent on him and his light.

Sitting down on a familiar park bench, Sakura held her face in her hands and cried.

* * *

Sasuke stares at a particular spot in the monotonous wall. She should be coming soon, like she did every day since forever. Or at least he thinks it has been forever. He can't remember anything else.

His little universe consists of a little black box, ten paces wide and ten paces long. It had no door and no windows. It has no sound or smell. There is no day or night, no sun or moon. No _light_ of any kind.

Well no light of any kind, until she comes. She is a deity in his unique little reality. She provides light and substance and relieves pain.

That is what a God does, right? He cannot quite recall.

When she is here with him he is never in pain, when she leaves it pressed on him with the force of a planet's gravity after being in space's blissful weightlessness. He thinks he loves her, because the moment she materializes through the wall his heart pounds with such fury it threatens to explode from his chest.

The lamp she carries gives a soft glow behind her cupped hand and grows brighter as she slowly uncovered it allowing their eyes to adjust. His dark eyes focused on her. She was a picture, a vision. She was absolute perfection in the candle light. The fragrance of home cooked food, mixed with her essence is more than enough to make his mouth water. Her eyes had yet to fall on him. She moves closer, unaware of the affect she has on him.

She moves gracefully, but too tediously for his liking. She went through the same routine of checking his eyes and ears before measuring his blood pressure, blood sugar, and his resting heart rate. The last three were always curiously raised and made her frown. Next she wordlessly activated her bloodline limit and inspected his chakra system. He knew what she would see, the flow of his life energy coursing poorly through his system before filtering through a seal that rendered him incapable of anything. It was a non-lethal procedure, but a devastating one to a warrior. Finally, she reached his favorite stage of her visit. She carefully removed his haori and unwound the bandage wrapped around his torso.

His eyelids slipped shut as she addressed his wound. He focused hard on the slight warmth of her hands through the troublesome latex gloves and the cool cleaning salve. Then it came, the tingling sensation that sent pleasurable shocks of lightening through every nerve ending in his numb body. It was some sort of healing jutsu that had been infused with her element, water. Her now exposed hands were coated in a thin layer of water sustained by tight chakra control hovering over his bare chest. When she closed her eyes and activated the maneuver it shone bright white like the points of a star in the night sky. The result was a fast paced healing art that made the dead receptors in his skin buzz with life, her life. With his eyes closed he could almost feel her life mingling with his own during the experience and it enthralled him.

It also drove him crazy because he couldn't make actual contact with her. As always she remained within his sights but out of his reach. He could see her, smell her, but it wasn't _enough_. He desperately wanted to hear her, touch her, _taste_ her.

To his great disappointment he couldn't move. The cot he remained stiffly bonded to prevent his every temptation with agonizing efficiency. And she never came to him, never spoke to him, never allowed him the favor of her smooth skin. There was always something in between them, preventing him from overcoming that small remaining gap as he reached for her with all his might. It drove him mad with desire, though he kept it from his ghoulishly eyes. The only feature that remained unhindered by his prison. They were the only things that were still solely under his control.

Soon she too would be under his control, his delightful little apparition would. He had been waiting and biding his time. Soon she would be his and he would be able to revel in the touch she had denied him for so long.

_Soon_, he thought as he watched her disappear into that particular spot in the wall.

* * *

Sakura's body jolted from the bench just as an ANBU member collided with it, causing the wood and concrete to explode. Forgetting about the stinging in her scraped knees, she leapt out of the way as more ANBU Black Ops materialized on the deserted street. One rushed a humanoid shadow in the direction from which the incapacitated member had been thrown. Two more flanked either side. Assessing the battle as carefully and full as she could with her scattered wits, Sakura rushed the tree the assailant was perched in, hoping to topple them from their stance and give the Black Ops the upper hand.

Her fist didn't even connect with the thick trunk of the oak when hot blood rained from the sky. Unwilling to pull her attack, Sakura rammed her fist into the bark that splintered and flayed under her chakra infused strength. The great tree tumbled hard and shook the ground with its impact, but the assailant had abandoned his position before taking damage.

Now he stood in the center of the street facing the Village gate and Sakura knew exactly who he was. His regal features were drawn and his inky black hair overgrown and falling wildly across his face. He'd changed drastically since their last encounter, but she would know him anywhere. After all Uchiha, Sasuke was her first love. He stood there unmoved by her shock, a stolen ANBU naginata slung uncaringly over his shoulder.

Once again she was the only thing standing between him and his way out and this time she wouldn't let him go without a fight.

Sakura forced her remaining strength into her hand. If her grip weakened he would escape. She couldn't let that happen again, but she could feel him slipping from her hold.

_No!_

She wished that she could open her eyes, but the blood seeping into her vision prevented it. Her body wouldn't move anymore. He'd done something to her, but she refused to let go. The last of her strength faded and she felt him tug his hand away with the same force of a snapping cord. Her body slumped then.

Just before she succumbed to darkness she caught a flash of silver and the sound of a willowy voice seething.

_You never should have ordered his transfer._

Then everything went black.

* * *

Everyone who reviewed, you rock. Everyone who read, you're cool too. Now for the Q & A (A.K.A. the author defends her P.O.V.).

RH as always you really know your stuff, but I also did a little research on the characters. I know Naruto doesn't say "Believe it!" it just fit when the anime was converted to English. What he says is "dattebayo" or he ends his sentences with "-ttebayo" which is like ending a sentence with "ya know?" Masashi Kishimoto wanted Naruto's character to be "simple and stupid" kinda like Son Goku and continually childlike in his innocence, despite having a harsh past. Since being childlike is a primary component of Naruto's character I didn't feel like I could just ex his catchphrase, ya know? :)

MistressWinowy11 thank you for your reviews. This is, indeed, a NaruHin story. Please don't worry. As for who Hinata is marrying, it isn't very important at this particular moment. It will be revealed though. As for forcing a Naru/Hina, I wouldn't dream of doing so. This story will NOT have a "lust/love at first sighting moment that leads to obsessive romantic mush that disregards all other responsibilities". In chapter six, Naruto and Hinata are just friends who happen to meet. There argument is more of a discussion really. They both have opposing views and they are just kind of hashing it out since they both have doubts. I'm sure you've done the same with your friends about books, or politics, or art and the like, right? Plus the meeting alone and looking into one another's eyes in not a new thing for Naru/Hina. It happened before the chunnin exams in the series and in chapter four of this story.

DragonBard I am sorry if I offended you. I realize that Jounin is an impressive rank. It's why I decided to make Hinata a Jounin. You have to realize that the person saying 'only' is Hatake Kakashi. He is the Hokage in this story. In the anime his father was a revered ninja and Kakashi himself is quite legendary. He graduated the Academy at an extremely young age and became an ANBU Black Ops. Plus Kakashi is known for being hard to impress. If I remember correctly, when he became a Jounin instructor he failed every genin team but one. As for the Wind ninja in chapter six, I have no idea where they came from, but they aren't from Suna that's why I didn't call them Sand Nin. I simply made the assumption that there were other Ninja villages besides Suna in the Wind County. I did not think that the term "Wind Country" applied explicitly to the Village Hidden in the Sand. I said "Wind Nin" because I imagined the fight scene in a desert area and it fit the bill. I just needed a way to destroy the engagement ring and what better way than on a mission.

Hatake Tsughi you are making me blush. I am greatly obliged by your praise. I promise that Hinata's suitor will be revealed in the future. I _know_ people will be angry with me, but I'll fight that battle when it comes.

Si, Jam Bread, Hinata is engaged. She's got a ring and everything. Thanks for the review!

Naruto's Vixen this is a Naruto Hinata story. Trust the community setting. It does not lie, I promise. Many thanks for the concern though.

If you have anymore questions or improvements please feel free to send me a review!


	8. Chapter 8

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Part Eight: Cohabitation

* * *

Moving the tent flap, Naruto was surprised to see Hinata still fast asleep. In the last year and a half he'd spent with her he figured she was part cat, since her eyes opened at every little sound and she had no problem keeping all night vigils. He knelt in the opening and studied the sleeping woman. It was the first time he'd seen her with her hair down. Her inky dark hair was free, blanketing her lithe form from the crown of her head past the small of her back making her milky skin glow in comparison. Her head was pressed into the crook of one arm while the other hugged her narrow waist. Her slim legs were curled gently upward twisted between the sheets in an almost feline manner.

The peaceful expression on her slumbering face drove him to run a weary hand through his unruly blonde hair. He hadn't seen that particular expression on her face much since they had embarked on this mission. That was more his fault than hers. The last couple of months he had been so angry with her, so angry at everything that he couldn't help himself from lashing out at her.

She had known about Sasuke. She'd taken care of the Uchiha for almost two years a mere eighteen blocks away from his apartment. She had even known about Sakura and neglected to tell him. It wasn't until the morning after he had spent the night scouring every nook and cranky of the Village Hidden in the Leaves searching of his missing fiancée that he had found out about the Uchiha's recovery and his second escape from the Sixth. Sitting beside his future wife's hospital bed where she lay unresponsive to light and pain, Naruto had nearly attacked the Hyuuga when she came to check up on them.

He knew she wasn't to blame. If anything she was the least responsible. If it had been up to her, Sasuke would have remained locked in the Hokage Tower and Naruto would be a happily married man. Instead of appreciating that fact, he had directed all his ire down on her head. He had glared at her as she spent weeks dedicated to reviving Sakura from her ordeal. He'd cursed her when she was the only one honest enough to tell him the truth about Sakura's coma. He'd spurned her when she volunteered to help him track the slightest whisper of the Uchiha's whereabouts. For the last year he'd even tortured her with inhuman conditions and grueling paces, completely ignoring the fact that she did not carry a demon inside her that could banish hunger or replenish exhaustion.

And she accepted his abuses without complaint.

He was an ass. Sighing at his own internal revelation, Naruto looked up in time to catch one silvery iris peering at him through dark bangs. Great, he'd waken her up to boot. His heart told him that now would be the perfect moment to apologize to her. To tell her that he was an ingrate and that he really appreciated everything she did for him and Sakura. Sadly, his male ego wasn't ready to make such amends.

He cleared his throat to cover his lack of words, before gruffly asking her if she was going to make breakfast or not. Without sitting up or moving really, Hinata gave him a slow nod in reply. Feeling disgusted with himself and her for not standing up for herself, he jumped to his feet and stomped off in the opposite direction.

He returned later, following the aroma of sizzling meat and chamomile back to camp. Sitting on a log by the fire, Naruto helped himself. The bacon and biscuits were delicious and the coffee was made to his tastes. He wasn't surprised. Hinata had always had a knack for cooking. She'd been spoiling him with home cooked meals for the last year now. How she managed that in the middle of a mission field, he could not guess, but he was sure that he wouldn't be able to go back to instant meals after she was gone. Too bad, Sakura couldn't cook if her life depended on it.

Sakura. He felt that old stinging erupt in his chest again. Pushing those thoughts out of his mind for the moment, he focused his attention on the dark haired woman coming over the ridge. She'd taken a bath, her wet hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and she was dressed in full shinobi regalia.

"Go change. There's a town nearby, allies of the sound. We'll settle as civilians and see what we can find."

His only reply was a nod from the Hyuuga before she disappeared into the tent. He set off the way she'd come to wash up in the stream. When he returned camp was collapsed and packed and the fire pit had been camouflaged. Hinata had pulled a modest kimono pulled over her ninja gear. Not wasting time he hauled the balkiest pack plus the folded tent over his shoulder and began walking. Responsible for her own things, Hinata quickly gathered them up and followed suit.

The walk was mute, except for the sounds of the forest until Naruto broke out with a question.

"Why are you here?"

It had been bugging him since the day she had shown up at the Village gate and followed him out. He wanted to know why she was willing to do all of this. It drove him nuts wondering why she had put up with him so long. Why she cooked for him, washed his clothes, trudged tirelessly behind him, and helped him track every inane hint that might lead to Sasuke.

There was a pause in her rhythmic footfalls and he looked over his shoulder at her. His cobalt eyes flashed then narrowed when he realized her head was down, shading her pretty eyes.

"I am here because we are friends."

With that she started walking again, trekking steadily past the place he was firmly rooted. Shaking out of his disbelief, Naruto chewed over this tidbit of information the rest of the way to the Village.

* * *

The Village of the Valley was an urban center. It was the hub linking all the obscure towns and villages that surrounded it. For this reason it had many people, both local and foreign milling about constantly. It was the perfect place to find leads.

Planning to stay in the Village for a while, Naruto and Hinata headed to a resident boarding house. Leasing a room would not be suspicious here. There were always traders and businessmen in need of rooming and the Village gained much financial stability through a number of such establishments.

Hinata waited near the entrance while Naruto strode right in. The keeper, a small man with a receding hair line and missing teeth, wasted no time on niceties.

"You're here for a room? Well I only gots one left. It's a small one, but it's gotta roof and walls. 1500 yen for one week. Up front. You and the missus can either take it or leave it."

Naruto opened his mouth to tell the man off. Hinata was NOT his wife. The inn keeper had no right to make such an assumption.

"She is your missus, right? I ain't got no tolerance for any of that sort. This ain't no brothel."

The disgusted look the old man sent Hinata, pushed Naruto over the edge. He gripped the man's collar, using his superior height to loom threateningly over the innkeeper as he said his piece.

"Watch your mouth, buddy. You don't ever say anything like that about her again, even think it and I'll tear a hole right through your gut. You got that?" His words came out a low growl that sent a shiver throughout the lesser man's body. The inn keeper swallowed then bobbed his head wildly in understanding. Relinquishing his hold, but retaining his scowl Naruto slammed the 1500 yen hard on the counter and scratched his signature in the log book before snatching the key.

Throwing his pack over one shoulder, the seething blonde grabbed his bewildered teammate by the wrist and dragging her up to their room.

Boy, the bastard was lucky Naruto was broke or he would have rearranged his face and booked a room somewhere else.

* * *

Hinata stuck her ground, refusing to budge when Naruto tugged her arm. She had been cooperative. She had been more than cooperative up to this point, but now she was drawing her line in the sand. She was not moving another inch.

Giving her arm another experimental pull, Naruto let it drop when it yielded no result. Instead he turned around to watch it fall lifelessly to her side. He was annoyed. That much was obvious, but as of late Naruto was in a perpetual state of annoyance. Hinata disregarded it.

"We are NOT sharing a room." Her voice had not risen one decibel.

"WHY the hell not?" He was not being so controlled.

"Because adult men and adult women do NOT casually share rooms." Hinata whispered fiercely a twinge of red coloring her fair skin.

"YES they DO." Naruto claimed, adopting her method of arguing.

"They do NOT." She insisted.

"Married couples do it all the time." He pointed out smugly.

"WE. ARE. NOT. MARRIED."

Her final words were a hushed scream between gritted teeth. Naruto apparently found this funny because he looked like he was on the brink of hysterics. She desperately felt the urge to hit him, but repressed it.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this unglued."

He was snickering and he was lying. He and seen her stutter and faint a hundred times. She was still mortified by that fact. She blushed redder and turned her head to the side.

"Don't try to change the subject."

Sighing he made his plea. "It's like this. We are going to be here a while. We have no money. Unless you want to shack up in the woods again and blow our cover this is our only option."

She refused to look at him. She knew he was right and she knew she was pouting, but that did not make her feel any better about the situation. As stupid as it sounded coming from a killer, every mannerism connected to her ladylike upbringing was repulsed by the idea. And the cool feel of metal wrapped around her left ring finger didn't help matters much. The very thought of taking part in something so potentially scandalous, physically affected her. Her clan was very effective in their brainwashing ways. Still she had no choice. That didn't mean she had to like it.

Inhaling slowly she turned her head to look at him. He was staring at her with a peculiar expression, one that seemed vaguely familiar. A look Kiba often wore just before…

Naruto's hand fell gently on her head, petting her as if she were some wayward pet that finally seen the light.

"Atta girl, Hinata. I knew you'd see reason."

That was the final straw. Slapping his hand away, Hinata strode around him. Unlocking the door to their room she stomped in and shut it firmly behind her.

* * *

After an eternity of randomly rambling through town Naruto owned up the courage to open the boarding room door, _carefully_. Making sure to be alert to any potential projectiles that might come flying towards his head in the process. He braced himself for screaming and perhaps even a good right hook to his face, but when his entrance was marked by accepted silence he remembered this was Hinata not Sakura.

Hinata did not scream or hit or break things when she was angry. Nope, she did something worse. She cooked and she cleaned and she made you feel guilty as hell without speaking a single word. And it was damn effective on big bad shinobi like him.

Entering the room that smelled lightly of lemon cleaner and brewing tea, Naruto watched her still figure lying on the singular cot. Everything she'd bought in was assigned a space in the cramped room and neatly put away. He felt like some wayward dog dragging garbage and tracking mud in her tidy abode. He didn't like it. Dropping his gear defiantly on the nicked up wood floor he expected the sound to set her off or at least attract her attention. It did neither. She was pointedly ignoring him. He grunted in disappointment and dismissed the idea of provoking her. It wouldn't be much of a fight anyway, he thought glumly. Why even _wanted_ a fight was something he just didn't want to think about.

Striping off his shirt and tossing it on the pile of gear he'd dropped deliberately in the middle of floor, the blonde shinobi scooped up his sleeping bag and prepared for sleep. Unfortunately, months of sleeping on a soft futon had ruined him. It had been tough sleeping on the ground outside, but at least packed soil had give and retained some heat. The bamboo flooring was hard and cool beneath the thin material of his roll, making it impossible to relax enough for oblivion. Sighing in frustration, Naruto remained awake long into the night.

His mind was a whirl with thoughts. There were not the usual thoughts though. His brain wasn't focused on Sakura. It wasn't focused on Sasuke either. Most of his pondering was centered on Hinata. It really irked him at she was mad at him. She had every right to be and he knew it. Earlier this morning he had been wondering how the hell she could not be mad at him, but now that she was he wished she would just forgive him already. He didn't think about her so much when she wasn't pissed off at him.

Frustrated, he restlessly called her name. She didn't answer, but he knew she was awake by her breathing.

"Are you still mad at me?"

He didn't move. He just lay there staring at the darken ceiling. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until her silence overpowered his ability to go without air. He was about to make a snide comment when her light voice braved the darkness.

"You don't have to sleep on the floor."

He heard what she said and knew that she meant there was room on the wide cot, but he also understood there was an unsaid meaning to her statement. It was the unsaid meaning that was the answer to his question. It was too bad his male dominated brain couldn't break the code and figure out exactly what that other unsaid part meant. Concluding that whatever she was trying to say to him without actually saying it was a positive thing, Naruto decided not to look a comfortable bed in the mouth and took her offer in humble silence. Lying on his back with great care he made sure that there was a good space between his left side and her back. Reclining his head on a spare pillow, Naruto was pleased to find that he felt a lot better.

Grinning to himself he mumbled a goodnight to his bedmate. His good spirits soared when he heard her sincere return muffled through her pillow.

* * *

Gomen, gomen, gomen! I am so sorry this chapter was late. I hope it was worth the wait, after all Naruto and Hinata had their first real fight. I was away. As always I appreciate everyone who took the time to read and review! I hope this update answers all your question from previous one. This chapter takes place a year after and a half after the last. Basically Sakura is in a coma and Naruto and Hinata have set out on a mission to retrieve Sasuke. For the most part their mission has been unsuccessful and boring so I skipped/summarized it early on and focused on the turning point. Please keep telling me if you like, loath, or think it's unrealistic so I can continue to please you all.

Yours humbly,

Ave Jane


	9. Chapter 9

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Part Nine: Delusions

* * *

The last few months had been easier than the previous year. For some reason her blonde teammate did not seem to hate her anymore. Hinata had no idea what had constituted the change, but she wasn't about to complain. One day the man just woke up and said "Good morning, Hinata-chan." From then on it had been smoothing sailing. At least as far as their team work went.

In terms of their objective they were failing miserably. Leads were far and in between. The Last Uchiha remained elusive. Even when the pair managed to grab hold of a solid piece of information about his whereabouts, the trail always led cold before they could trap the rouge ninja. It was as if they were chasing a mirage. You could see it shimmering in the distance, but once you got too close it would disappear into thin air, a trick of light out of the corner of your eye.

Hinata gritted her teeth as the rock bit into the skin of her hand. They had been scaling the face of the mountain for half a day now and it seemed as if the rough terrain was testing them and their endurance. Clamping her jaw, the Hyuuga woman gripped the sharp hold with a steady strength, ignoring the stinging in her wound palm. Some ninja had strength, others strategy. Hinata had her endurance. Her confidence lay in the fact that she could take whatever was done to her even if she couldn't give it back. She could handle anything she was subjected to. That was why she had been the only jonin level ninja to routinely survive suicide missions.

She reached a small plateau in the rock where she waited for Naruto to catch up. Activating her byakugan she checked the area and the sky. The coast was clear, but the weather farther up the mountain concerned her.

"What's wrong, Hinata?"

She forgot when he had dropped the suffix from her name and she could not remember when she had stopped correcting him.

"If we continue to climb, we will be engulfed in a snowstorm." She frowned as she tried to think of a way around the natural road block. The storm could last for days and shut the small window they had to capture Uchiha, Sasuke's trail.

"I meant your hand."

She was ripped from her thoughts when she felt calloused hands secure her own. Hinata had to fight the urge to tear her hand from his. She still wasn't comfortable with being touched so casually. In her defense she hadn't been cuddle enough as a child.

"It is a scratch, Naruto-san."

"Naruto," he corrected automatically before inspecting her upturned palm. "It's more of a gash than a scratch." His face was serious as he pressed a wad of gaze onto her skin. It turned red quickly. "We should take care of your hand."

"I'm fine," she dismissed his concern by closing her fist tightly. She felt the wad press firmly into the wound and was sure it would clot soon.

Naruto never let anything alone for long and a second later he had seized her hand again. "You have to treat your hand. More shinobi's die from inflections than the wounds themselves. You should know better, you're a medic."

Hinata was caught between indignation and humor. She remembered telling him those same words the first time he'd been injured on their mission. She thought he'd been ignoring her at the time. Maybe she'd been wrong. Humor won out. She could never feel harshly toward Uzumaki, Naruto.

"I _am_ a medic. That's how I know I'm fine." Her words were softened by a small smile and a slightly teasing tone. Playing along, the blonde pouted dramatically and stuck his tongue out at her. She laughed before her eyes turned back to the sky. "Really, Naruto-san, we should look for cover."

All traces of playfulness left his face as he nodded.

* * *

Hinata gazed down at her open palm. Her wound lay numb and undisturbed below the layered white bandage. Naruto did not have the most skilled hand at healing, but he was thorough. He refused to let her apply her own dressing, even though she was quite capable of doing so.

_Chivalry is not completely dead, woman._

Those words in combination with his trademark foxy grin had made her blink and blush like she was twelve years old again. She was so incapacitated that she'd let him do as he pleased. When he'd finished he'd smiled at her in a way that made her chest constrict, before leaving to gather firewood for the night ahead. She had nodded in acceptance, too unsure of her voice and its ability to reply without stuttering like a fool.

_Kami-sama, I'm hopeless._

Really she was. As a girl she had been infatuated with Uzumaki, Naruto to the point of stammering, fainting, and _stalking_. It had been the most excruciating period in her life, up until his battle with Pein. She had been foolish enough to admit her feelings for him before engaging in the most pitiful battle of her life. To her luck and misfortune, Naruto had regained consciousness after defeating Pein with no recollection of the battle or the admission preceding it. Despite, her unrequited confession it had been easier to deal with her affection for him after that. Over time the weight of her crush had just become an addition to the weight of the world that rested on her shoulder. A weight she barely even noticed anymore, since it had resided over her for so long now.

Naruto's renewed presence was making her aware of her preference again. This worried Hinata. He was spoken for after all. Noble women did not pursue men who were spoken for. They did not pursue men, period.

Plus, she was spoken for herself. She was marrying her cousin Hyuuga, Neji at the completion of this mission. She would be forced to give up her shinobi career and her cousin would be forced to sacrifice his love of a woman he could not yet admit he loved. It was ironic really. The Hyuuga believed sacrificing one's self for the clan would set the clan free. Hinata shook her head. If they all lost themselves in service to their clan, than what clan would there be to serve? We are the clan, without that which makes us what we are there can be no Hyuuga, only Clan bound by cruel ritual and false tradition.

_Is that what happened to the Uchiha clan?_

Hinata shook herself out of those thoughts when she noticed a powerful chakra signature edging toward the cavern. Smiling for some unknown reason, the Hyuuga woman hauled herself up to go greet her incoming teammate.

"_Did you miss me?"_

The male voice echoed in the air from every direction, surrounding her as if it were bouncing around in her very ears. She felt disoriented and her body felt as though it were in a dream or a nightmare.

"Come out Uchiha, Sasuke."

Her quiet command seemed to summon him. His dark outline was just a noticeable smudge in the dimness. He was coming towards her, his footsteps echoing loudly in the hollowness. She did not move. Every step brought him closer and the closer he got the clearer he became as the world around him became fuzzier and less distinct. The more she focused on him the more she could distinguish between reality and his genjutsu, because he was real.

Slowly the cavern's gaping mouth became a faded curtain over vast greenery and the grey sky a perfect blue ocean. Hinata clamped her jaw. The trap was extensive, worthy of the snake sanin's apprentice. It didn't matter now. She was aware of his deceptions and she could see through them.

She activated her Byakugan and the fight began.

* * *

Once relieved of his katana and driven back a distance, the Uchiha was manageable. His greatest advantage was voided in a battle with her. Hinata did not need to look him in the eye to see his attack. She could tilt her face to the ground or to the side and still have him in her range of sight. This seemed to irritate the Uchiha, though he continued to fight without commentary.

Hinata guessed he was trying to encroach on her area. There was a circular scar in the earth ten feet in all directions around her. Since Sasuke was a close range fighter he was having trouble subduing her when her arsenal included a number of techniques that effectively kept him at bay.

The slight flicker of black drew her eye.

The Uchiha launched from the trees again and Hinata entered her kaiten. The dome of spinning green chakra halted the Uchiha's attack and blasted him back fifteen feet. He landed in a low crouch as the blow's momentum sent him skidding back an additional few feet.

He looked angry now, almost like a rabid predator eying a caged bird. His pale face was drawn and Hinata kept eye contact, confident in the fact that his spinning shiringan had no affect on her. She was ready for him. She'd been fighting him for a long time now and had picked up on the rhythm of his fighting style. He was going to rush her again, this time head long. He expected her to repel his attack, just as she had before. Not this time, she'd let him through. He would be prone during his attacking strike and she would have the opportunity to close a number of his chakra points before having to shift out of range.

Widening her stance when he made for his charge, she was ready to carry through. She could see his eyes. She knew something was wrong the second his three pupils stopped spinning. When the red of his iris froze for no longer tnat a split second her vision went black and Hinata was momentarily paralyzed.

She expected death when she felt him reaching within a hair's width of her, but he did not stop. His whole body collided against her when they impacted. Her back hit the ground hard followed by her unprotected skull. If she had not already been blinded, she was sure her vision would be swimming from the hit. The Uchiha's weight was heavy over her. Her arms were pinned to her sides and her lower body immobile.

Hinata tried to gather her wits as fast as she could, but she was lost in the darkness. It was an all encompassing darkness in the confines of her head. She was still in her body, but she was disjointed from it. She could feel what was happening to her but it was distant and diluted.

Why wasn't she dead?

Hinata only began to panic when she realized that her struggling was not producing movement from her limbs. She was paralyzed, but she could still feel and quickly the ability to feel was becoming more in tune with the real time sensation of her physical body.

It was then that Hinata wished she could scream, because she had never before felt such excruciating pain.

* * *

Naruto howled with rage as he saw red. He felt the Kyuubi's chakra mix with his as he pounced on the Uchiha ripping him from the tiny woman's broken form. His anger blotted out everything, their village, their friendship, their brotherhood, his promises to Sakura, _everything_. All he could remember was Hinata's beautiful face twisted in anguish as he tore at Sasuke's flesh.

* * *

Everyone who has obliged me enough to come this far YOU ARE AMAZING and I don't have the word to tell you how GRATEFUL I am. Happy Labor Day!


	10. Chapter 10

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Part Ten: Consequences

* * *

Naruto froze in the doorway. Hinata was standing before the full length mirror her pupil-less eyes tracing over the panes of her exposed body. He averted his gaze. He had seen her bare form before. He had needed to mend her after Sasuke's attack, but her nakedness affected him too much. It reminded him of too much. Seeing brought to the surface everything that he had discovered about her. Everything he would rather forget.

Still that desire to forget could not erase what he had seen. What he now knows.

They had chased the missing Uchiha for so long and in the end Sasuke had trapped them. All those months Naruto had spent searching and obsessing, Sasuke had been doing the same. Only, he had been looking for a way to overcome Hinata's impenetrable gaze. And the Uchiha protégé had succeeded, in the most brutal of ways.

Naruto wretched himself away from such dark thoughts, there were unnecessary. He had saved her. She was alive and healing. It would take time, but she _would_ mend. Mend just like she did after the Chunin Exams and the battle against Pein. She _had_ too.

Overwhelmed with desperate emotion, Naruto let his eyes fall on her again, just to remind himself that she was there, alive with him. _Safe._

It had only been days and from where he stood Hinata's white skin seemed flawless as though Sasuke and all those other missions had never existed, but he knew that her flesh was crisscrossed with faded scars. They were a shade paler than the rest her skin near invisible to the naked eye, but they were still there, singed into his memory and apparently hers as well.

He cleared his throat, his face still turned in the opposite direction, to alert her to his presence. The last few days, she had been oddly disconnected. Sometimes she was totally incoherent and other times overly aware. It made Naruto worry that there was something deeply wrong with her, despite her progressing health.

He did not know how to deal with her quiet withdrawal or her soulful gaze. She still didn't flinch or complain, but Naruto desperately wanted her to. Without those signs how as he supposed to treat whatever was still wrong with her. She wouldn't talk to him or anyone else. She would stand there and just listen like her voice was broken not her body. And sometimes she would just stand there seemingly lost to the world.

It drove him insane and kept him up at all hours of the night. He just couldn't accept the fact that the intangible part of Hinata that animated all the rest was damaged.

There was a painful silence then, in the pause before Hinata turned to him. The moment he felt her iridescent gaze on him, his body became engulfed in nervous anxiety. He heard his voice, but couldn't make out his own words. She was moving closer to him and it was throwing him off balance. Those eyes were depthless and he had the distinct feeling that she could see through his every defense now that she had stopped paying attention to all the distracting noise in the world. Her delicate features looked slightly confused.

"Hmmm?"

Her soft hum was slow and precise almost as if they were traveling through a medium denser than the air between them. The intimate feeling of her vocal cords vibrating left him stupefied. When had she gotten so close? He licked his dry lips and tried to clear the lump in his throat before speaking again.

"We're leaving early tomorrow. You should get some rest."

His voice came out throaty and he realized her vision was trained on his hands rather than his face. His hands were fidgeting. One was busy rubbing knots in the juncture of his neck and shoulder while the other was drumming impatiently on his kunai holster. She caught that hand with both of her own. The action made his chest constrict in surprise. He had felt her skin a thousand times in the past few days, but it never failed to shock him how unbelievably smooth it felt under his calloused touch or how luminescent it seemed compared to his tanned hide. It baffled him how both her hands could easily be encased in one of his.

He felt her fingers glide over the texture of his hand like silk over granite. She treated his hands as though they were some sort of benevolent force in the universe rather than instruments of death. If only she knew the truth. He felt his eyes close. Her touch was soothing like balm for a hurt he hadn't known he had. It was almost like it was before, when they had enjoyed each other's silence. Not like now were they hid behind it.

He was jarred from his peace when the warm brush of her lips acted against the sensitive center of his palm. The action sent his lax body into a state of shocked arousal. He cracked one eye open when the sensations subsided in time to see a crystalline tear traced the curve of her cheek and disappear into his open palm. He used that hand to cup her chin as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

When her words finally came they were hoarse and tortured before becoming lost in the folds of his jacket.

_I can feel him, lingering on my skin. Making me sick, like poison sinking into my soul._

Her pained sob broke something . How would he ever express to her how sorry he was? Were there even words to justly do such a thing? Naruto didn't think so. So he pulled her close and tried to press a comforting kiss to her pale temple.

Instead of her temple, he met with her soft pink lips when she angled her mouth to fit under his. His pupils dilated and he thought to pull away before the gentle sway of her lips broke his resolve. He did not know where the heat came from when he kissed the dark haired woman, butt horrified him with its intensity none the less.

She was so gentle, yet it only inspired fierceness within him. Suddenly there was a need to possess her and show her how deeply her anguish affected him. _Where does it hurt, onna?_ The need to breathe could not even break his ardor. _Is it here, Keishuu?_ His hunger found the smooth skin of her jaw and her throat. _Let me heal you, Hime._

Her compliance was pushing him onward down a dangerous slope. It was with pained consciousness that he regained his head enough to speak.

"Tell me to stop," he begged between open mouthed kisses. Her only reply was breathless pants that encouraged his passion.

"Tell me to stop," he pleaded hoarsely when he pressed her willing body roughly against the wall. He managed control for a moment, pressing his forehead against hers. He was giving her the chance to tell him no. A chance to tell him that his previous indifference, his failure to acknowledge her feelings had eroded any right he had to touch her this way. It was the last chance to stop them from committing the gravest of sins. His cobalt eyes took in the pained emotion in her silvery gaze. He memorized her loveliness knowing he would remember the way she looked at this moment for the rest of his life.

His skin heated as her fingertips traced reverently over the marks of his whiskers. She leaned close to him, and he lost himself to her damning last words.

"I can't."

* * *

Naruto relinquished his hold on the wooden table when a council member's sharp address broke his revere. They were not happy. He'd officially terminated the last surviving Uchiha and the Village was taking full offense. They had had great ambitions for Uchiha, Sasuke. They still revered him a hero for disposing of Orochimaru and hunting the Akatsuki, despite his blatant disregard for human life and obvious insanity.

Narutol was sure this meeting would end badly for him. The elders still didn't like him. No matter what he did he would always be the demon container, no the _demon_. Looking back on all that he had done, the trust he had betrayed, he could not help but to bitterly agree. _Demon_ suited him just fine.

* * *

I will leave you wonderful readers and reviewers to ponder just what dear Naruto is beating himself up for now. Thank you to all who reviewed. As always I appreciate all your comments. I hope this chapter answered lingering questions from the last and left you with more for the future. Until then, Ave Jane bids you adieu.

*_keishuu_ translates to "accomplished lady" The Japanese language does not have endearments like "darling" or "sweet heart" in terms of a man speaking to a woman, so I chose to have Naruto address Hinata with a progression of flattering female terms in his mind starting with "woman", then "lady", and finally "princess".


	11. Chapter 11

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Part Eleven: Sacrifice

* * *

Hanuro Sakura's emerald irises shifted back and forth underneath heavy eyelids. Naruto held his breath as he scarcely hoped. He had spent the every conscious moment since his hearing pleading with the Divine. His shinobi career was lost to him, but his life was intact thanks to the Sixth Hokage.

He was guilty, guilty of so much, but if he could just have this one thing. He just wanted one thing.

He'd made a deal with God. If Kami-sama displayed mercy on the one he loved, than he would fulfill all he promised. He did not need to be absolved of his past sins or granted any future boons, he just wanted Kami-sama to look out for her. Uzumaki, Naruto would become a saint and devote his entire life to Hanuro, Sakura if Kami would just save _her_.

When green eyes opened for the first time in three years, the blonde's eyes were slightly misted. Sakura reached for his hand and he extended it knowing that his prayers had been answered.

* * *

"You do not have to do this."

Hinata looked up to see her cousin standing in her old doorway. He was no longer her fiancé, because she was no longer Hyuuga. The Hyuuga genius could never marry a woman who had renounced her clan.

It had been strange. Her decision to withdraw from the Hyuuga had not resulted in distain from her fellow clan members. The Council of Elders had been pleasantly pleased with her volunteered removal, even if her father had been momentarily stunned. The branch members, who had always treated her with a sort of indifferent ignorance, were now sneaking glances at her from the corner of their all seeing eyes. They seemed to have found a sort of indirect relief in her insubordination that redeemed her of the sins of her main house pedigree.

She figured that was why Neji had come to see her. Since she had endured the brand in exchange for her freedom from the clan, her standoffish cousin had treated her with the respect due a martyr. She did not understand why the green curse seal scrawling across her lower back suddenly made her worthy of her clan's chilling adoration. Still she was not one to remark on odd behavior.

"Do not have to do what, Nii-san?"

Neji's eyes remained motionless, but Hinata knew that he was surveying her empty room and her own person.

"You do not have to move out, or withdraw from the ninja arts, nor do an assortment of other things."

It took her a moment to realize that the Hyuga genius's last statement was meant in jest. His blank expression had made it difficult to decipher. Hinata nodded, pressing her lips together as per her new habit when unsure of the right words to say.

"You could stay. You are a noble Hyuuga."

Hinata blinked at the praise her rigid cousin was doling out. He thought she had declined her birth right in order to prevent the Clan future ruin at the hand of her incompetent leadership. He somehow convinced himself that her decision was all about Clan welfare over self. Ironic.

"I would be proud to bear you as my wife."

She should have been speechless, but her words for once were quick to form. They spilled bluntly from her mouth without apology.

"You do not like me."

"I would learn to."

If Hinata was a lighthearted soul she would have laughed. Hyuuga, Neji was proposing to her in the most uncharacteristic, yet fitting way he could. It was really quite ironic since their original engagement had been orchestrated through the Hyuuga council and the two cousins had had nothing to do with each other the entire time.

"Why?"

"I have observed you and I have concluded that you and I could co-exist with one another over time as our duty demands that we should." Her silence prompted Neji to open his mouth once again ready to assault her resistance with inarguable logic. It made no sense and Hinata was quick to stop him.

"No. Why would you consider this now, when you are free of your obligation? Why would you seek something that you, as a person, never wanted?"

Whether it was her straightforward manner or her extended inquiry that astounded him she would never know, but Hyuuga, Neji's face changed in that moment. His normally hard eyes relaxed and his blank facade faltered into one of vague realization.

"You did this for me, Hinata-sama."

Hinata would not lie. She had a personal, selfish reason for her departure from the Hyuuga. That reason could easily be concealed through her union with Neji, but she could not do that to him. Plus, Hinata had always felt for her cousin. It was true that life had dealt him a particularly difficult set of cards and he deserved to be relieved of some of his ill luck.

Bowing her head slightly she finally gave him his answer, "Hai, in part."

She offered no more of an explanation. Neji asked for none, but scrutinized her long and hard as she retained her humbled position. It had been ages when she finally raised her gaze. The Hyuuga genius was gone. Sighing, Hinata shook her head and returned to her packing.

_I could no sooner burden you to claim the bastard child of either a rapist or an unrequited love, than I could murder an innocent child, Nii-san._

With this as her last thought, Hinata left the family she had never known, never to return.

* * *

I'm sorry that it is so short. I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I want to give a special thanks to MistressWinowy11, rodz, RH, Hatake Tsughi, .stars, and pharix. Regular and grateful thanks to everyone else, too. Hope you tune in next week for the last installment. Get ready for wedding bells one of our couples it getting ready to tie the knot. Ja ne!


	12. Chapter 12

* * *

Road to Redemption  
by Ave Jane

I do not own, in part or as a whole, Naruto. All standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Part Twelve: Salvation

* * *

Wedding finery suited Sakura. She was a beautiful bride. She was also so in love with her groom that she glowed on their wedding day with a vibrant aura. Her emerald eyes were clouded with tears as she gazed at her bridegroom's handsome face.

He was so striking in his black ceremonial robes that Sakura's breath had hitched when her eyes first beheld him. Tall, strong, and gentle he was. She had long ago realized that he was her knight in shining armor. His actions over the years had proven that beyond a doubt.

She smiled as she stroked his cheek.

She had been so blind. It had taken a coma to wake her up. He annoyed her to no end because that was how he made her move past her sorrow. He stood there and pretended to listen to her ranting because she needed someone there. He never said 'I love you' and tried to eat her charcoaled ramen because that was how he showed her he cared.

It was his unorthodox ways that made her love him in a way she never thought possible. His appearance in her life had been so sudden that she hadn't even realized that he had become the most important thing to her until this very moment.

And that is why should could not marry him. She loved him too much to sentence him to a life of repentance. He loved her yes, but he was giving her his life in atonement for the promises he thought he'd broken. She could not let him do that.

He had killed her first love, who he had vowed to return to her. He had failed and his honor made him repent by working everyday to replace the love he had considered absent at his expense. What he did not realize was that Sakura knew Sasuke had chosen his own path. She had known that the night he left the Village all those years ago. Just as she had known that the night the Last Uchiha had nearly killed her.

Naruto was willing to live the rest of his life undoing the wrongs of the past and he didn't even know it. She loved him even more for that and that is why she had sought him out an hour before their wedding.

Standing there staring up at his slightly stunned expression and hooded cobalt eyes, she was nearly overcome with the temptation to keep him. It was the same temptation that had wrapped around her heart when she had left that sake house with him in tow up until this very moment. She would not crumble now. This was her gift to him for being selfless enough to give her a taste of the happiness that fate had denied her.

"Naruto-Kun…"

"Sakura-chan, you're crying," he told her while wiping away the streams of tears running down her face.

She smiled sadly, "I guess I am."

"Why?"

She gazed at him, memorizing his features. This memory of his caring face would be her sole comfort in the lonely years to come.

"Because I am letting you go."

* * *

_I need you to be happy. You will never be happy with me._

Naruto did not understand. Sakura's rejection left him with emotional turmoil and bitter confusion. He was scalded by her sudden change of heart. He had sacrificed so much for her and she had refused it.

He knew that he could not stay angry with her. She did not know of his pact. How could she? It was a childish thing he had done inside his head as he sat beside her sick bed. He had reported to her hospital room directly after his release. The pink haired woman had come to represent home to him. But sitting in the dim light of his fiancé's room, he thought of nothing but silver eyes and dark hair, agonizing over how he could set things right.

He had succumbed to his desires and betrayed both women in an unspeakable way. Hinata, perhaps more than her counterpart, since he only offer her nothing but one night. How could he do anything more for the dark haired woman when he had already pledged himself to Sakura? He had been a selfish fool whose weakness had exploited the vulnerability of a good woman in her time of need. The woman he had blindly come to love. So, he made a pact with the Almighty. If He spared Hinata from the negative repercussions of his moronic actions, then Naruto would devote his life to Sakura and never allow his shadow to fall cross the beautiful Hyuuga ever again.

She would never have to face him again, not after that night.

_Argh, that night!_ He couldn't stop thinking about it, about her. Hinata had been a constant fixture in his mind. He had found himself thinking about her every second of everyday. At first he had assumed it was his own vulgarity that had him pining after her constantly, but the more he thought about her the more he realized Hinata had been a strong specter in his mind even before _that night_.

She had always been an enigma to him. A precious person he could not figure out. As a child he had dubbed her mystery as mere weirdness. With that done he had put her out of his mind, until his return after Baa-chan's death. He still remembered the first time he laid eyes on her with the baby on her hip. The image had reminded him of a mission long ago when he'd blurted out the she would one day make someone a wonderful wife.

She wasn't made for a shinobi's life, a life of blood and death. She was made for life, to create it, to nurture it, to _love it._ Hinata was made to love. She was everything love should be for love was kind and never cruel, forgiving never condemning, neither proud nor jealous or deceitful, only all encompassing acceptance. Loving Hinata was something Naruto had never experienced before, and he was afraid he was not worthy of experiencing it ever again. She was everything he had ever wanted, and everything he could never have. So that was why he had to stay away from her. Or so he told himself.

No matter, because the moment Sakura had released him from his promise, as Sakura so kindly put it, his wayward feet wandered right to her door. The pink haired medic had oh so slyly mentioned the ex-Hyuuga heiress's address before pressing a teary goodbye kiss to his stunned mouth. She had walked away then. He had not felt his heart break as he had expected. Instead, he had been engulfed by a tangle for indescribable emotion that threatened to topple him to his knees. He did not even have time to analyze the swell of emotion before they spiraled into the void that had plagued him since he left a sleeping Hinata in the early morning light. The void that was slowing swallowing everything left inside him.

Gripping both sides of the doorway in the empty hall of a civilian apartment complex two stories up, Naruto took a moment to breathe. He rested his head against the wooden barrier. He could feel her just on the other side of the door. Her calm, her patience. All the things he'd come to associate with her were steadying the rhythm of his heart as he just stood there too afraid to make himself known.

He stayed there, until the door opened.

She stood there neat and clean, in a crisp white yata. There was nothing extraordinary about her and yet she still managed to be the most amazing thing he had ever set eyes on. So he stared at her, completely content with doing nothing more.

"Naruto." Her breath was light and airy with shock.

"Hinata." He answered reflectively.

"You are supposed to be getting married." Her lovely face seemed pained. Naruto snapped out of his stupor and frowned. He had been a fool to come to her. She didn't want him here, not after what he'd done.

He felt his roughish demeanor fall into place as he planned his retreat. He was leaning away from the door as he answered her. "You know what they say, 'best laid plans' and all that…." He was ready to bolt when she spoke again.

"So … you are not… getting married?"

He turned his gaze snapped back to her, drawn by the subtle relief in her quiet voice.

"No."

"Why?"

_Because Sakura thinks she isn't right for me…_ It was the only answer as to why he wasn't a married man right now, but he couldn't seem to voice it. Not when he was paralyzed by her eyes. She had that look again, the one that completely undid him. Her eyes were searching deep in the recesses of his soul, pleading for the answer to a question he couldn't quiet decode.

"Because I think about you all the time."

The dark haired woman reeled back at the exhausted proclamation. He hadn't meant to sound so frustrated, but he was and the release made him bold. He took a step forward.

"Because Sakura knows you did something to me."

He stalked forward as the Hinata retreated back shaking her head vehemently trying to form words to pacify his outburst. He gave her no chance.

"She knows you plague me. That being with you changed me."

He sensed the change in her rather than saw it as she stopped backing away. Something he said had struck a chord inside her and now she was angry.

"Plague you?" her voice was hushed, but her tone was intense and it was her surging forward and him falling back.

"I didn't force you. I didn't ask anything of you. I have _nothing_ to feel guilty about_,_" she challenged righteously.

He didn't feel guilty either and that's what caused him such grief. He didn't feel guilty at all about cheating on his once upon a time fiancée or killing his best friend. Those two facts that should be tearing him up inside, but they weren't. He should be ashamed of the fact that he had enjoyed making love to her until they were both lost in oblivion, but he wasn't. He was ashamed to say his only regret was that he could never do it again and that was wrong. It was all wrong and he couldn't take it anymore.

"You _don't_, I _do_." He was losing control of his defenses again, something that seemed to happen a lot around her. His voice was rising. "I _want _you. So much so that I can't bring myself to _want_ to do the right thing anymore."

His confession stunned them both into a tense silence. For a long moment they just stood there staring at one another as his words and their implications sunk into both their understandings. The tension was broken by a distant sound. A sound that attracted Naruto's dulled senses and made Hinata's silvery eyes widen. Naruto began to move as if entranced toward the continuing interruption's source, brushing past the frozen woman on his way. Hurrying to will her sluggish body into motion, Hinata turned. Her restriction dried on her lips as Naruto pushed the slightly ajar bedroom door open and journeyed carefully within.

His attention focused on the tiny white crib in the middle of the room. He continued toward the fussy sounds emanating from the center piece. Gazing down into the crib, Naruto eyed the mewling infant that lay within.

"Why didn't you tell me, Hinata?" he whispered to the woman frozen in the doorway. His eyes were transfixed. Ten fingers. Ten toes. Head full of silky black hair.

"I couldn't…. I didn't know who….. You were getting married…" Her soft mutterings drew his stare. His cobalt eyes held hers before she looked away. A moment later her steady gaze met his and she whispered her answer.

"You were on the brink of achieving your happiness. How could I ask you to sacrifice that?"

There were tears in her eyes and her voice broke in the middle of her admission.

"I love you."

Naruto closed his eyes and gripped the rail of the crib before turning his body toward her. His face was solemn and unreadable as he faced her. He took a slow breath before opening them.

"Hinata. Have you lost your mind?"

Silent tears were running down her face. He ignored them as he steeled himself to finish. He needed to express this just right. Closing the distance between them, he stared down at the tiny woman. His voice was calm and slow.

"Hinata you and _our_ son are my happiness."

It was then in the dying daylight amidst soft coos and gurgles that silver met cobalt and both realized that this was not an end, but a begining.

Fin

* * *

That's all there is there isn't any more. Thanks for everything, everybody!


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